As automobiles have become an overwhelming presence in many person's everyday lives, so to has the need to improve upon the safety characteristics of automobiles. One of the most common safety deficiencies is caused by one motorists inability to sufficiently see another vehicle. This scenario is caused by many different contributing factors, for example: a vehicle is located in what is commonly referred to as a "blind spot" or in other words, neither the interior rear-view mirror nor the side rear-view mirror is able to provide a reflection of another vehicle or vehicles which may be in the way. IF a motorist desires to change or alter his/her vehicle's position relative to the roadway, and does not view any other vehicles, he/she will usually proceed. Only, after it is too late, will the presence of another vehicle become known to the motorist. It is important to remember that "blind spots" are not the sole cause of these types of accidents. At any given moment while driving a vehicle, a motorist is constantly deluged with hundreds, or possibly thousand of distractions. These distractions vary from pedestrians moving about to stationary items such as trees and buildings and even to public displays for advertisement purposes. This last example is designed to attract the attention of motorists. When considered together, it is easy to comprehend how distractions while driving are a significant contribution to many automobile accidents.
As anyone who drives is well aware of, the two indicators of an emergency or law enforcement vehicle responding to a crisis are the combination of sirens/horns and/or flashing lights. Even more particular is the protocol which requires that when law enforcement officials are enroute to an immediate situation, and the use of sirens or horns might alert would-be criminals, the sirens are not utilized; and the only indication of the law enforcement vehicles purpose are the flashing lights. When other motorists see the lights they know to pull to the right and allow the vehicle to pass unimpeded. Also, when one considers that many of today's automobile audio components are capable of completely encapsulating in sound any occupants of a vehicle and thus making it impossible to hear any outside noises. The importance of the lights as a visual announcement are all the more exemplified.
The reason lights are utilized results from the findings of scientific studies that have proven the human eye will be attracted to and subsequently directed at a light. What is now viewed as an obvious solution to the problem of the increased need of motorists to be able to see other motorists, especially in the midst of many distractions, is that of vehicles equipped with a constant light source while moving. Although some people were of the opinion that lights were useless during daylight, it has been proven that even in bright daylight, human eyes are still attracted to an artificial light source.
The benefits of lights utilized on a constant basis during the operation of an automobile is now known to be a substantially beneficial addition and will according to predictions, significantly contribute to the lowering of many automobile accidents and conversely save some people's lives.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention however, the following U.S. patents were considered related:
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 5,438,237 Mullins, et al Aug. 1, 1995 5,416,384 Bavaro May 16, 1995 5,374,852 Parkes Dec. 20, 1994 ______________________________________
The 5,438,237 patent discloses an automatic daytime running light system for a vehicle having an engine, an electric power source, a starter motor circuit for the engine, external running lights and input switches that control an ignition circuit as well as the external running lights. The system is responsive to the input switches, and the starter motor includes a digital-logic timer circuit that automatically controls the operation of the running lights. The circuit also includes MOSFET switching devices, which provide high reliability and safety, redundant circuitry to provide a higher level of reliability, fail-safe operation and a fault detection circuit.
The 5,416,384 patent discloses an emergency lighting system that provides an emergency driving voltage to drive at least one lamp when the AC power input to the lamp is not present. A rechargeable battery pack and recharging circuit are contained in a first modular housing, and driving circuitry is contained in a second modular housing. The system also includes a test switch to emulate power failure, a transmitter and receiver mechanism which allows a user to remotely disable the battery power to the driving circuitry and a photo-sensing mechanism which disables the battery power if there is sufficient ambient light.
The 5,374,852 patent discloses a lighting control apparatus for a motor vehicle that includes an electrical power supply, an ignition switch, lights, a lighting control switch for illuminating the lights, a wiper device, and a wiper control switch for actuating the wiper device. The apparatus, which automatically illuminates the lights whenever the wiper device is actuated, includes a photosensitive element electrically connected in series between the electrical power supply and the lights. The photosensitive element, which is illuminated by ambient light, has a first conductive state whenever the intensity of the ambient light is below a first threshold value. The photosensitive element additionally has a second nonconductive state whenever the intensity of the ambient light exceeds a second threshold value, and a mechanism for moving a shutter to a first position which shields the photosensitive element from the ambient light whenever the wiper control switch actuates the wiper device.